Super Bowl halftime performer charged for running on field with 'Sudan and Free Gaza' flag
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Super Bowl halftime show performer was charged Thursday with two misdemeanors, about 4 1/2 months after he ran across the field at the Superdome waving a flag that included the words 'Sudan and Free Gaza,' Louisiana State Police said.
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, turned himself in to authorities to face of charges resisting a police officer and disturbing the peace by interrupting a lawful assembly, police said. He surrendered in coordination with his attorney and was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center.
Nantambu revealed the flag and ran on the field during rapper Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance on Feb. 9. He was detained on the field after his demonstration but not charged. The NFL said at the time he would be banned for life from league stadiums and events.
According to a statement from police, Nantambu had been hired as an extra performer and 'had permission to be on the field during the performance, but did not have permission to demonstrate as he did.'
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy thanked investigators for their work.
'We take any attempt to disrupt any part of an NFL game, including the halftime show, very seriously and are pleased this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' McCarthy said in a statement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
34 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Colombian court halts investigation into presidential campaign funds
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's Constitutional Court on Thursday stopped an electoral body from investigating accusations of illicit campaign financing and unreported spending by President Gustavo Petro, delivering a legal victory to the beleaguered left-wing leader. The court ruled that only Congress can investigate alleged irregularities in the financing of Petro's 2022 campaign. Petro has denied any financial impropriety. The ruling scraps a probe by the National Electoral Council into whether Petro's campaign exceeded fundraising limits by about $1.2 million and whether it accepted funds from labor organizations, which is banned by Colombian law. The council is an administrative body that supervises the electoral process and oversees campaign financing. It can also impose administrative sanctions, such as hefty fines against campaign staffers. The court ordered the electoral council to refer its investigation to Colombia's House of Representatives. It's unclear whether lawmakers will advance the case. Although Petro often clashes with Congress, lawmakers have never removed a Colombian president from office, even in the face of intense public pressure when investigators in 1996 demonstrated then-President Ernesto Samper's ties to drug cartel financing. Petro fiercely criticized the electoral council as politically motivated, opening another front in his battles against the country's courts, which have overturned some of his key decrees and appointments. The officials on the electoral council planned to examine campaign contributions by unions of public school teachers and oil workers, among others, citing a dozen financial transactions Petro's campaign had allegedly failed to report. On Thursday, Petro applauded the court's decision. 'Well done to the Constitutional Court,' he posted on social media platform X. This was just the latest in a swirl of scandals over the financing of Petro's campaign. The Attorney General's office has also been investigating Petro's son Nicolás over allegations that the campaign took funds from criminal sources, including a notorious former drug trafficker. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
UPI
42 minutes ago
- UPI
NFL's Justin Tucker suspended amid sexual misconduct allegations
1 of 2 | Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) warms up before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2024. File photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo June 27 (UPI) -- Former Baltimore Ravens free agent kicker Justin Tucker has been suspended by the NFL for the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season for violating its personal conduct policy, the league announced Thursday. The suspension comes after sexual misconduct allegations were made by 16 Baltimore area massage therapists from eight high-end spas. The alleged incidents occurred between 2012 and 2016, the league said. "We are disappointed with the NFL's decision," Tucker's agent, Rob Roche, said in a statement Thursday. "Justin has always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud. He stands by his previous statements. In order to put this difficult episode behind him and get back on the field as soon as possible, we have advised Justin to accept this resolution and close this matter." The Ravens cut Tucker May 5 to stay under the NFL's salary cap. He could seek to join another team later in the NFL season when he is eligible for reinstatement on Aug. 11. Tucker has denied the allegations, and described the reporting by the Baltimore Banner that exposed them as "desperate tabloid fodder." Tucker, 35, had been a standout kicker during his 13-year career until last season, when he missed 10 kicks, dropping his field goal conversion rate to 73.3%, ranking him 31st in the league. Prior to the 2024 season, Tucker had a 90.2% conversion rate in his first 12 years in the NFL, seven of which were Pro Bowl seasons. He holds the record for the longest field goal in league history, a 66-yard game winner in 2021. He was the league's highest paid kicker, having signed a 4-year, $22 million contract in August 2022.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ecuador reveals how notorious gang leader ‘Fito' hid in his hometown for 18 months after jailbreak
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ever since Ecuador's most notorious gang leader vanished from his prison cell in January 2024, authorities have been searching the world, offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of Adolfo Macías, alias 'Fito.' It turned out the country's most wanted man was hiding out at a family member's mansion in his own hometown. Ecuadorian security forces recaptured the kingpin Wednesday at an underground bunker beneath a marble-walled house in the port city of Manta, some 260 kilometers (161 miles) southwest of the capital of Quito. In a remarks to reporters Thursday, authorities revealed further details about their efforts to locate Macías and the hiding place where he spent his final weeks of as a fugitive. Authorities had issued an international arrest warrant for who had been serving a 34-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime and murder in a Guayaquil prison before his shock escape . Macías is also wanted by the United States on accusations of trafficking drugs and smuggling weapons. A month ago, authorities closed in on the drug trafficker's family, arresting several of his relatives, seizing their assets and raiding their businesses. Interior Minister John Reimberg described the crackdown on Macías' family as a 'psychological operation' crucial to security forces' efforts to locate the notorious leader of Ecuador's 'Los Choneros' gang. 'It contributes to a person's conflict, their loss of control,' he said in a press conference Thursday. But what put Ecuadorian intelligence on his trail was the unusual behavior of a municipal transit official in Manta, who stopped showing up to work several months ago. Surveilling the official led intelligence services to Macías' inner circle, according to Víctor Ordóñez, a national police commander. Authorities discovered that this official frequented a swanky three-story building equipped with an indoor pool, well-appointed gym and game room and outfitted with gleaming marble floors and walls. Furniture was wrapped in plastic and flat screen TVs were still in their boxes. All over the house were statues of Saint Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes venerated by Mexican drug traffickers. Los Choneros is believed to have been one of the first from Ecuador to forge ties with Mexican drug cartels . Ordóñez also said that authorities received final confirmation that Macías would be in the house at the time of the 10-hourlong raid from his young daughter. In the predawn darkness Wednesday, hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and security officers stormed the mansion and blocked off the surrounding streets. But Macías was nowhere to be found. Security forces flew drones overhead and noticed that the land around the house appeared uneven, with suspiciously altered vegetation that suggested infrastructure and possible ventilation below the surface. The fugitive was hunkered down in an air-conditioned bunker that could only be accessed through a small hatch, its entrance concealed by a cement and tile floor in the laundry room and openable only from the inside. Police brought in heavy machinery to start excavating, and when the roof above his head began to cave in Macías recognized that capture was inevitable, Minister Reimberg said. The alternative was being crushed to death. 'When this happened, Fito panicked,' he said. 'He opened the hatch where military and police personnel were located and left the hole.' Within moments, Ecuador's most powerful drug lord was writhing on the ground with a gun pointed at his head, forced to repeat his full name out loud. Shirtless and with an unkempt beard, a haggard 'Fito' was shepherded outside by a squad of officers and brought to the country's highest-security prison, known as La Roca, or the Rock, in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa announced after the capture that the Macías would be extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution. He was indicted in New York City in April on charges of importing and distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine in the U.S. 'We have done our part,' Reimberg said. 'I expect the U.S. extradition request to arrive in the next few hours or at most the next few days.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
